THE GROUND LEVEL HOSPITAL

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The condition of one bird deteriorated so slowly that by the time I realized what was happening it was too late. She was often seen tucked up on the floor near the small rooster and appeared to be okay otherwise. I took this to be a social problem but it probably was a slow acting virus. What was needed was a warm place at ground level where the birds themselves could walk into when needed. The box at the pyramidal walkway was ideal as it could then be used by all the birds in the aviary including those in the COMPOUND.

The interior is divided into two parts using plastic gutter netting and entrance holes drilled on both sides. A fully enclosed wooden box with a hinged side would be suitable for just an aviary. All the interior surfaces apart from the end facing the glass are insulated with expanded polystyrene covered with a layer of cotton. The heating is provided by a simple 60 Watt spot lamp blackened with a felt-tipped pen and is fitted to the end of the box.

Details to follow.

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The condition of one bird deteriorated so slowly that by the time I realized what was happening it was too late. She was often seen tucked up on the floor near the small rooster and appeared to be okay otherwise. I took this to be a social problem but it probably was a slow acting virus. What was needed was a warm place at ground level where the birds themselves could walk into when needed. The box at the pyramidal walkway was ideal as it could then be used by all the birds in the aviary including those in the COMPOUND.

The interior is divided into two parts using plastic gutter netting and entrance holes drilled on both sides. A fully enclosed wooden box with a hinged side would be suitable for just an aviary. All the interior surfaces apart from the end facing the glass are insulated with expanded polystyrene covered with a layer of cotton. The heating is provided by a simple 60 Watt spot lamp blackened with a felt-tipped pen and is fitted to the end of the box. The mains power input is controlled by a dimmer switch and thermostat which are also fitted to the end of the box. The wireing must be protected if cockatiels are present. The thermostat is of the hydrolic expansion type (pipe and tube) which are very reliable and don't need a power supply. The tube is fixed to the ceiling of the box and away from the lamp. The hysteresis is quite high with these types of thermostats (about 10 degrees C) but hasn't as yet proved to be a problem. It is adjusted to give a temperature range from 25 to 35 degrees C. The dimmer switch is rated at 150 Watts maximum. Higher power dimmers are not suitable. The temperature can be verified by a probe thermometer fitted to the side of the box. The probe itself is tie-wrapped to the ceiling of the box next to the thermometer tube and next to the lamp.

Details to follow.